Radiator filler neck



Oct. 12, 1965 L. w. KRAKE 3,211,319

RADIATOR FILLER NECK Filed Oct. 14, 1963 INVENTOR. Leland TM Krake BY H. mm

United States Patent 3,211,319 RADIATOR FILLER NECK Leland W. Krake, Bethlehem, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Oct. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 316,062 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-40) This invention relates to filler necks particularly intended for automobile radiators.

In my prior Patent 3,070,255 there is disclosed one construction of filler neck for aluminum radiators. The basic problem with which my prior patent and this present application are concerned, is the combination of a steel cam ring which will have the necessary strength and wear characteristics with a body portion of aluminum suitable for connection to an aluminum radiator.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved construction which will require less material and be easier to assemble than that of my prior patent.

Another object is to provide a construction where the steel cam ring is more firmly secured so that it will not become loose during use.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section of my improved filler neck in association with the radiator and cap;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the filler neck with portions broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the filler neck;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the body portion of the filler neck before assembly with the cam ring;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cam ring; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-section on line 66 of FIG. 2 on a larger scale.

In FIG. 1, there is indicated a radiator shell 7 having connected thereto a downwardly extending sleeve 8 into which my improved filler neck F is adapted to fit. The filler neck F has a cylindrical wall 9 of somewhat larger diameter than the sleeve 8. The bottom end of the wall 9 is joined to an inwardly formed flange 10 that is generally S-shaped in cross-section and provides an upwardly rounded valve seat 10a for reasons which will appear later.

The upper end of the body portion has a relatively narrow out-turned flange 12 presenting an upper surface to provide a seat for the inner liner 13 of a radiator cap C. The inner end of the radiator cap C carries a disc 14 adapted to seal against the seat 10a on the body flange 10, and this disc may be backed up by a spring 15 to allow for the escape of pressure fluid from the radiator. The cylindrical wall 9 of the body portion has a flanged opening 16 for mounting a nipple 17 to which a suitable overflow pipe may be connected.

The cam ring, generally designated R, is made of steel and has an inner cylindrical skirt portion 18 which fits tightly around the cylindrical wall 9 immediately beneath the flange 12. The cam ring has a top wall 19 with a slightly stepped down portion 20 to receive the flange 12 of the body portion. This wall 19 is substantially wider than the body out-turned flange 12 and bears against the underside thereof. It has the usual opposed cam sections 21 and 22 extending downwardly from the outer edge of the top wall adapted for engagment in the usual way with complementary cam lugs 23 and 24 of the closure cap C. These lugs on the closure cap are adapted to pass through the cut-outs 25 and 26 of the cam ring, which cut-outs, however, do not extend into the stepped down portion of the top wall so that the flange 12 is not interrupted.

The cam ring R, according to my invention, is secured against relative rotation by a suitable number (herein three) of grooves 27 which can readily be formed in the steel ring during the drifting operation required to form the skirt 18.

The body member before assembly appears as shown in FIG. 4. After assembly, it is merely necessary to strike the material of the wall 9 outwardly to form the outwardly extending ribs 28 to engage and interlock with the grooves 27. During this same operation of forming the ribs, a suitable number of nibs 29 are struck outwardly immediately below the outer edge of the skirt 18 so that they will engage under said edge to prevent relative endwise movement of the cam ring. Preferably, these nibs are formed one on either side of each of the ribs 28.

It will now be observed that I have provided a novel filler cap construction for use with aluminum radiators which will be economical to manufacture-first, because there is little waste material and second, because there is very little additional work involved in assembly of the parts. At the same time, the resulting construction is exceedingly strong and durable. The steel skirt portion on the cam ring fitting tightly around the neck will resist any forces tending to angle the ring upwardly or downwardly. In addition, there are the vertical grooves in the ring which can readily be formed in the making of the ring, and the ribs and nibs on the aluminum neck can easily be formed outwardly after assembly in one operation. The ribs prevent twisting while the nibs prevent endwise movement of the cam ring.

What I claim is:

1. A radiator filler neck comprising a body portion made of aluminum and having a cylindrical wall, means at its lower end for connection to a radiator, a relatively narrow out-turned flange at its upper end presenting an upper surface to provide a seat for the inner liner of a radiator cap; a cam ring made of steel and having an inner cylindrical skirt portion fitting tightly around said cylindrical wall immediately beneath said outturned flange, said cam ring having a top wall substantially wider than said out-turned flange and bearing against the underside thereof, cam sections extending downwardly from the outer edge of said top wall for engagement with complementary cam lugs of a closure cap; and means for securing said cam ring to said body portion comjprising (a) vertically extending interengaging rib and groove means on said cylindrical wall and said skirt portion to prevent relative rotation between said cam ring and body portion; and

(b) means formed outwardly of the body cylindrical wall and engaging under the bottom edge of said skirt portion.

2. A radiator filler neck as defined in claim 1 wherein said securing means comprises (a) a plurality of vertically extending grooves extending across the inner surface of said skirt portion;

(b) a like number of outwardly formed complementary ribs on said cylindrical wall of the body member interengaged with said grooves; and

(c) a plurality of outwardly formed nibs on said cylindrical wall engaging under the bottom edge of said skirt portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,070,255 12/62 Krake ,22040 3,126,160 3/64 Berger 220-40 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. 

1. A RADIATOR FILLER NECK COMPRISING A BODY PORTION MADE OF ALUMINUM AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALL, MEANS AT ITS LOWER END FOR CONNECTION TO A RADIATOR, A RELATIVELY NARROW OUT-TURNED FLANGE AT ITS UPPER END PRESENTING AN UPPER SURFACE TO PROVIDE A SEAT FOR THE INNER LINER OF A RADIATOR CAP; A CAM RING MADE OF STEEL AND HAVING AN INNER CYLINDRICAL SKIRT PORTION FITTING TIGHTLY AROUND SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL IMMEDIATELY BENEATH SAID OUTTURNED FLANGE, SAID CAM RING HAVING A TOP WALL SUBSTANTIALLY WIDER THAN SAID OUT-TURNED FLANGE AND BEARING AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF, CAM SECTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE OUTER EDGE OF SID TOP WALL FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH COMPLEMENTARY CAM LUGS OF A CLOSURE CAP; AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID CAM RING TO SAID BODY PORTION COMPRISING (A) VERTICALLY EXTENDING INTERENGAGING RIB AND GROOVE MEANS ON SAID CYLINDRICAL WALL AND SAID SKIRT PORTION TO PREVENT RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID CAM RING AND BODY PORTION; AND (B) MEANS FORMED OUTWARDLY OF THE BODY CYLINDRICAL WALL AND ENGAGING UNDER THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID SKIRT PORTION. 